General Information:
Laughing Kookaburra (D. novaeguineae), is the largest member of the Kingfisher family, with an average length of about 17 inches or 42 cm. The genus name for Kookaburras, Dacelo, is actually the anagram word of Alcedo, which itself came from the Greek word Halcyon, meaning to brood and conceive. An average Kookaburra would weight about 340 grams and have a life span of 20 years. They are native to Eastern Australia and are nicknamed "Laughing Jackass" due to their famous calls that resembles human laughter (see video 1). Their back, crown, wings, tails and eyes are brown, while their belly and head are white. This is rather odd, as the Kingfisher family is mainly consisted of colorful and vibrant birds. Males of this species are usually slightly smaller than the females. Kookaburras are carnivorous and their diet includes lizards, large insects and snakes. They reach sexual maturity at 1 year of age with a typical breeding season that is between September and January.
Video 1 - The Laughing Kookaburra's well known call.
Diagram 1 - A male Kookaburra: Picture's Source
Labelled by Kelvin Ko.
Distribution: Much like the Australian Mainland Common Wombat and the Platypus, Kookaburra resides in Southern Australia (and also the South-West Corner of Western Australia), covering the coastal line of Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria. This species was separated with the Blue-Winged Kookaburra several thousand years ago, when the distance between Papua New Guinea and Australia was much bigger, and is currently overlapping in some areas of Queensland, where the two different genus competes directly for food. They were then introduced to Tasmania, New Zealand and Kangaroos Island in 1866.
Map 1 - Laughing Kookaburra's distribution range. Source
Habitat: About 10 million years ago, the Kookaburra resides in parts of Central America, Caribbean and South America, usually forests and wetlands. But due to various reasons like the lack of resource, they have explored and eventually settled in Australasia. Even though it's a distant past, the Kookaburra still favors open forests, dense woodland, and places along the river with tall trees. They also like areas that are cool and wet, with leafy, suitable trees, such as the Eucalyptus. Though basically, they can live in any areas with abundant resource and are immunes to most climate changes.
They have also adapted extraordinary well in humanized areas such as farms and backyards. Though not recommended, it is a common sight to see humans feeding food to a Kookaburra. Usually putting scraps of meat in their hand and the Kookaburra snatching the food off right away like a surprise attack. In fact, they are so comfortable with humans that they sometimes will steal food from a human by swooping in, usually from a distance. They were so human friendly that they are one of the greatest depicted animals from European scientist, most likely due to their extroverted nature.
Kookaburras are always permanent residents to the areas where they breed or born in. They are territorial birds that occupies woodland in family groups and mark their boarders with laughing calls. They build nests in tree hollows or termites dug holes 30 feet above the ground in leafy trees using branches they collected nearby. They will lay 2 or 3 eggs and live with their young for a long period of time until the next mating season. And regarding of safety, there will always be at least a single guardian to protect the nest at all time.
Figure 2 - An unnoticeable Kookaburra nest. Source
One of the advantage that the area gives the Kookaburra is the ability to camouflage in branches high above the ground, waiting and scooping through the forest for their chance to strike. The dense woodland also means that the nest is much less noticeable, making the offspring safer. The cooler temperature of the wetland is also ideal because as the Kookaburra is covered with fur and have a large layer of fat. Lastly, because the area is so wet, preys will usually have a higher amount of moisture and water, which means the Kookaburra can last longer without water.
Physical 1 - Large bills: Along with strong jaw and neck muscles, typical Kookaburras have tough, straight and wide bills that are 10 cm in length. This provides them great crushing strength and makes it ideal for aerial strike, because it's easier to aim and grab the prey so that they will spend less energy and time flying or chasing. By closing their bills quickly once they reach the prey, the powerful force will easily the bones of these small victims and will leave them incapacitated. This can be very advantageous, as a struggling prey can be a big nuisance, especially in air. Kookaburras with smaller beaks are more prone to starvation or rapid energy loss, as they have to spend more energy dealing with the prey. So it is possible that there is a constant race between the prey and this species in size, thus promoting evolution.
Figure 2 - Relative Size of the Bill and Body
The bill (10 cm) is ~23% of the body length (42 cm) Source
Behavioral 1 - Advance hunting strategy: As mentioned, Kookaburra have a large bill. They use this advantage to the fullest by developing a strategic hunting plan. Kookaburra have been observed to use a "sit-and-wait" style from a high branch, they would scan the forest looking for preys. Once the birds picked a target, they would catch and crush them using its beak, high in the air, and then drop it or smash it repeatedly to a tree branch. This, combined with their powerful jaw, would most certainly cause severe damage such as concussion, multiple fractures and/or internal injuries to the prey. Making the hunting procedure very easy, as the prey couldn't move after suffering such a trauma and might instantly die instead. So, this method would save lots of energy, as the "sit-and-wait" technique can prevent unnecessarily energy lost due to chasing preys. Interestingly, dropping the prey from high above is frequently used against large preys. In the animal world, intelligence plays an important part. The species who outsmarts the other will have a better survival chance, in this case, if preys or other predators developed a more efficient strategy and constantly exceeds the Kookaburra, this species will be terminated. Therefore, the environment pressure here is for the species to regularly improve their hunting method, so that they won't die off.
Video 3 - Kookaburra's Hunting Strategy as explained on Youtube
Behavioral 2 - A sense of family and territory: Unlike many other animals, the Kookaburras are monogamous and territorial. The teenagers of this species will also help their parents out and take care of their younger siblings. This sense of belonging is the driving factor for this species' success. For a starter, Kookaburras are life-long monogamous, this compensates the fact that Kookaburra chicks are very weak (naked and blind) when they are born, because at any given time, there is at least one guardian to watch over the bird (assume that the other partner went to hunt). In fact, the siblings from previous broods might help out and act as helpers, usually in exchange of shelter and territory. This kind of win-win situation is further enhanced as this species is very territorial, defending and sharing the territory only with its family. They will usually call out its laughing call, as a sign of establishing and marking their territory, amongst other groups. Though their most noticeable call is during dawn, where the whole family group will call out a chorus of laughing sounds (often referred to as "Bushman's Clock). The reasons for these behaviors are most likely due to the rivalry in territory terms. This is because the bigger the territory is, the more preys you can hunt. Besides, if the territory is secured, the offspring will be much safer. Ultimately, because there is such a big environmental pressure of land, family have no choice but to form alliance and divide their parental duties equally, so that their offspring (and their own gene) will have a bigger survival rate.
Figure 3 - A New Born Kookaburra
Kookaburras are usually blind and naked when they are born.
And certainly, not very adorable. Source
Physical 2 - Syrinx: Much like a human sound-box, a syrinx is the sound producing organ in a bird. Songbirds uses its a highly developed syrnix (including syringeal muscles and surrounding structures) to produce high, delicate and melodious notes. Unlike a songbird, the Kookaburra have a barely developed syrinx (including its muscles and surrounding structures), so it's very easy for this species to create loud and low notes, forming the basis of their renowned laughing call. This scenario is much like the fact that a human adult male will have a deeper voice than a human adult female, due to his elongated vocal cord. As mentioned above, a laughing call is actually a warning against other birds of their sovereignty in their respective areas. The louder and more exaggerated the call is, the more effective it becomes in avoiding invasions that will lead into fights or robbery, as a louder and deeper call will echo through greater distance. It is possible that with its louder call, the bird can expand it's territory, thus gaining more places for hunting, which is a survival advantage. So, in this case, the environmental pressure would require individuals to have a better (or actually, poorer) syrnix, so that they can protect their offspring and hunt better.
Figure 4 - The Syrinx of a Typical Songbird Source
Physiological - Well developed digestive system:
The relatively advance digestive system gives Kookaburra the ability to eat pretty much anything. Ranging from large venomous snakes, poisonous insects and lizards (main diet) to fish, crab and earthworms . One of the reason why they have no problem swallowing poisonous preys is because their gastric juice is so acidic that it will nullify any toxic substance. Also, the Kookaburra doesn't need to drink water, because their large intestine is expanded and can very effectively absorb water from food. This versatile diet is advantageous as Kookaburras can pretty much live wherever they want and would not starve to death. The Kookaburra (along with all the Kingfishers) originated from Central America, Caribbean and South America , lived there 10 million years ago. However, due to the population of birds living in there, hunting is a very competitive act. This leave no choice for this species but to explore other areas, which would eventually lead to the migration of Kookaburras. But anyhow, Kookaburras with enhanced digestive system can eat and digest food easier in other areas. And because of this, they can easily migrate to other places and prevent starvation due to the lack of prey and rivalry amongst birds.
<- Fossil Animal: Pteranodon Sternbergi
Future Animal: Dacelo Novaemundus ->
General Information:
Laughing Kookaburra (D. novaeguineae), is the largest member of the Kingfisher family, with an average length of about 17 inches or 42 cm. The genus name for Kookaburras, Dacelo, is actually the anagram word of Alcedo, which itself came from the Greek word Halcyon, meaning to brood and conceive. An average Kookaburra would weight about 340 grams and have a life span of 20 years. They are native to Eastern Australia and are nicknamed "Laughing Jackass" due to their famous calls that resembles human laughter (see video 1). Their back, crown, wings, tails and eyes are brown, while their belly and head are white. This is rather odd, as the Kingfisher family is mainly consisted of colorful and vibrant birds. Males of this species are usually slightly smaller than the females. Kookaburras are carnivorous and their diet includes lizards, large insects and snakes. They reach sexual maturity at 1 year of age with a typical breeding season that is between September and January.
Source
Scientific Classification:
Picture's Source
Labelled by Kelvin Ko.
Distribution:
Much like the Australian Mainland Common Wombat and the Platypus, Kookaburra resides in Southern Australia (and also the South-West Corner of Western Australia), covering the coastal line of Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria. This species was separated with the Blue-Winged Kookaburra several thousand years ago, when the distance between Papua New Guinea and Australia was much bigger, and is currently overlapping in some areas of Queensland, where the two different genus competes directly for food. They were then introduced to Tasmania, New Zealand and Kangaroos Island in 1866.
Source
Habitat:
About 10 million years ago, the Kookaburra resides in parts of Central America, Caribbean and South America, usually forests and wetlands. But due to various reasons like the lack of resource, they have explored and eventually settled in Australasia. Even though it's a distant past, the Kookaburra still favors open forests, dense woodland, and places along the river with tall trees. They also like areas that are cool and wet, with leafy, suitable trees, such as the Eucalyptus. Though basically, they can live in any areas with abundant resource and are immunes to most climate changes.
Source
They have also adapted extraordinary well in humanized areas such as farms and backyards. Though not recommended, it is a common sight to see humans feeding food to a Kookaburra. Usually putting scraps of meat in their hand and the Kookaburra snatching the food off right away like a surprise attack. In fact, they are so comfortable with humans that they sometimes will steal food from a human by swooping in, usually from a distance. They were so human friendly that they are one of the greatest depicted animals from European scientist, most likely due to their extroverted nature.
A man feeding a Kookaburra.
Source
Kookaburras are always permanent residents to the areas where they breed or born in. They are territorial birds that occupies woodland in family groups and mark their boarders with laughing calls. They build nests in tree hollows or termites dug holes 30 feet above the ground in leafy trees using branches they collected nearby. They will lay 2 or 3 eggs and live with their young for a long period of time until the next mating season. And regarding of safety, there will always be at least a single guardian to protect the nest at all time.
Source
One of the advantage that the area gives the Kookaburra is the ability to camouflage in branches high above the ground, waiting and scooping through the forest for their chance to strike. The dense woodland also means that the nest is much less noticeable, making the offspring safer. The cooler temperature of the wetland is also ideal because as the Kookaburra is covered with fur and have a large layer of fat. Lastly, because the area is so wet, preys will usually have a higher amount of moisture and water, which means the Kookaburra can last longer without water.
Physical 1 - Large bills:
Along with strong jaw and neck muscles, typical Kookaburras have tough, straight and wide bills that are 10 cm in length. This provides them great crushing strength and makes it ideal for aerial strike, because it's easier to aim and grab the prey so that they will spend less energy and time flying or chasing. By closing their bills quickly once they reach the prey, the powerful force will easily the bones of these small victims and will leave them incapacitated. This can be very advantageous, as a struggling prey can be a big nuisance, especially in air. Kookaburras with smaller beaks are more prone to starvation or rapid energy loss, as they have to spend more energy dealing with the prey. So it is possible that there is a constant race between the prey and this species in size, thus promoting evolution.
The bill (10 cm) is ~23% of the body length (42 cm)
Source
Behavioral 1 - Advance hunting strategy:
As mentioned, Kookaburra have a large bill. They use this advantage to the fullest by developing a strategic hunting plan. Kookaburra have been observed to use a "sit-and-wait" style from a high branch, they would scan the forest looking for preys. Once the birds picked a target, they would catch and crush them using its beak, high in the air, and then drop it or smash it repeatedly to a tree branch. This, combined with their powerful jaw, would most certainly cause severe damage such as concussion, multiple fractures and/or internal injuries to the prey. Making the hunting procedure very easy, as the prey couldn't move after suffering such a trauma and might instantly die instead. So, this method would save lots of energy, as the "sit-and-wait" technique can prevent unnecessarily energy lost due to chasing preys. Interestingly, dropping the prey from high above is frequently used against large preys. In the animal world, intelligence plays an important part. The species who outsmarts the other will have a better survival chance, in this case, if preys or other predators developed a more efficient strategy and constantly exceeds the Kookaburra, this species will be terminated. Therefore, the environment pressure here is for the species to regularly improve their hunting method, so that they won't die off.
Source
Behavioral 2 - A sense of family and territory:
Unlike many other animals, the Kookaburras are monogamous and territorial. The teenagers of this species will also help their parents out and take care of their younger siblings. This sense of belonging is the driving factor for this species' success. For a starter, Kookaburras are life-long monogamous, this compensates the fact that Kookaburra chicks are very weak (naked and blind) when they are born, because at any given time, there is at least one guardian to watch over the bird (assume that the other partner went to hunt). In fact, the siblings from previous broods might help out and act as helpers, usually in exchange of shelter and territory. This kind of win-win situation is further enhanced as this species is very territorial, defending and sharing the territory only with its family. They will usually call out its laughing call, as a sign of establishing and marking their territory, amongst other groups. Though their most noticeable call is during dawn, where the whole family group will call out a chorus of laughing sounds (often referred to as "Bushman's Clock). The reasons for these behaviors are most likely due to the rivalry in territory terms. This is because the bigger the territory is, the more preys you can hunt. Besides, if the territory is secured, the offspring will be much safer. Ultimately, because there is such a big environmental pressure of land, family have no choice but to form alliance and divide their parental duties equally, so that their offspring (and their own gene) will have a bigger survival rate.
Kookaburras are usually blind and naked when they are born.
And certainly, not very adorable.
Source
Physical 2 - Syrinx:
Much like a human sound-box, a syrinx is the sound producing organ in a bird. Songbirds uses its a highly developed syrnix (including syringeal muscles and surrounding structures) to produce high, delicate and melodious notes. Unlike a songbird, the Kookaburra have a barely developed syrinx (including its muscles and surrounding structures), so it's very easy for this species to create loud and low notes, forming the basis of their renowned laughing call. This scenario is much like the fact that a human adult male will have a deeper voice than a human adult female, due to his elongated vocal cord. As mentioned above, a laughing call is actually a warning against other birds of their sovereignty in their respective areas. The louder and more exaggerated the call is, the more effective it becomes in avoiding invasions that will lead into fights or robbery, as a louder and deeper call will echo through greater distance. It is possible that with its louder call, the bird can expand it's territory, thus gaining more places for hunting, which is a survival advantage. So, in this case, the environmental pressure would require individuals to have a better (or actually, poorer) syrnix, so that they can protect their offspring and hunt better.
Source
Physiological - Well developed digestive system:
The relatively advance digestive system gives Kookaburra the ability to eat pretty much anything. Ranging from large venomous snakes, poisonous insects and lizards (main diet) to fish, crab and earthworms . One of the reason why they have no problem swallowing poisonous preys is because their gastric juice is so acidic that it will nullify any toxic substance. Also, the Kookaburra doesn't need to drink water, because their large intestine is expanded and can very effectively absorb water from food. This versatile diet is advantageous as Kookaburras can pretty much live wherever they want and would not starve to death. The Kookaburra (along with all the Kingfishers) originated from Central America, Caribbean and South America , lived there 10 million years ago. However, due to the population of birds living in there, hunting is a very competitive act. This leave no choice for this species but to explore other areas, which would eventually lead to the migration of Kookaburras. But anyhow, Kookaburras with enhanced digestive system can eat and digest food easier in other areas. And because of this, they can easily migrate to other places and prevent starvation due to the lack of prey and rivalry amongst birds.
Bibliography:
Smithsonian National Zoological Park. (2006). Laughing Kookaburra Facts Sheet. Retrieved July 16th, 2010. From http://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/birds/facts/factsheets/fact-giantkingfisher.cfm
Sarah, L. 2004, Kookaburra, King of The Bush, Australian Natural History Series. CSIRO Publishing, Australia.
Birds In The Backyard. (2010). Laughing Kookaburra. Retrieved July 22nd, 2010. From http://birdsinbackyards.net/species/Dacelo-novaeguineae
Woodland Park Zoo. (2010). Animal Fact Sheets, Laughing Kookaburra. Dacelo Novaeguineae. Retrieved July 26th, 2010. From http://www.zoo.org/animal-facts/kookaburra
Australia Joey Soouts. (2007). Kookaburra Information. Retrieved July 26th, 2010. From http://australianjoeyscouts1.4t.com/Kooka/inf.html
Source:
Title picture: http://www.unisa.edu.au/barbarahardy/images/Downloads/Laughing-Kookaburra.jpg
Video 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch#!v=q0Op4PZzwwU&feature=related
Picture's Source: http://www.nsw.rose.org.au/images/kookaburra-info0.gif
Map 1: http://identify.whatbird.com/img/4/3290/image.aspx
Figure 1: http://identify.whatbird.com/img/4/3290/image.aspx
Video 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_sZxY0jb-1s
Figure 2: http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/bp/mread/read/KookNest_6147_Read.jpg
Figure 3: http://www.digital-images.net/Lenses/AFS_VR/Kookaburra_s.jpg
Video 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Il98W12WqH4&feature=related
Figure 4: http://www.bbc.co.uk/tees/content/images/2009/05/28/kookaburra1day_400x300.jpg